Piano action



06f. 12, 1954 w W, WATERS 2,691,319

lPIANO ACTION Filed Dec. 15, 1952 l 3 sheets-sheet 1 FIG. I

WILBUR W. WATERS Y ATTO NEYS l Oct. l2, 1954 W. W. WATERS PIANO ACTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 13, 1952 N .QE

INVENTOR.

WILBUR W.WATERS BY Mu-fw W A ORNEYS Filed DeC. 13, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

WILBUR W. WATERS ATT RNEYS Patented Oct. 12, 1954 www U N I T E D S TAT S @FF PIANO ACTION Wilbur W. Waters, Newingtomonn...

Application December 13, 1952; Serial Nori325784 (ci. Samara) 6 Claims. l This invention relates tov piano actions and pertains more .particularly to an action especially suitable foruse in a restricted space such as` in a spinet or `small upright piano.

One object of the invention is to pro-vide an actionsimulating that of a grand piano whiclris exceedingly compact, thereby enhancing the appearance of the piano in which such action is installed-.by permitting more graceful styling. Fortuitously, therevis also Aelected a. saving of material inasmuch as the piano case may be steppedin'imrnediately below the compact action.

In addition to rendering the action more con::y

centrated, another object of the invention is to provide an action having several irnprovedmechanical features. In this connection, the power derived from the operation of the piano key is applied directly to the hammer until the hammer head is only one-eighth inch from the sounding string as in conventional actions. within the purview of the instant invention to have an additional impetus applied to the ham1- mer immediately preceding the disengagement of the jack from the hammer butt, thereby increasing the force with which the hammer strikes the string. Further, by virtue of the arrangement envisaged, there is no'tendency for the jack to.

deflect from its power-applying position until its release from the hammer butt is desired, for provision is made for maintaining a positive engagement between the jack and the hammer butt during this period. Also, in accordance with the teachings of the invention, it is possible to utilize a yfull-size hammer shank such as those used in large uprights, thus assuring'inconjunction with the above-mentioned features, that a full,` heavy' blow will be applied to the sounding string. .More specically, it is possible to employ a' hammer shank having a length of four inches withoutv materially aiecting the compactness of the action, since the jack extends in generally the same direction as the hammer shank.

Another object of the invention .is to provide a piano' action having a very fast repetition, each key yand its associated mechanism being auto-y matically conditioned for a prompt successive opreration thereof. To accomplish this end, it 'is Within'the teachings of the invention tor store upf sunicient energyon the rebound movement fof the hammer 'justl prior` to the engagement of the; catcher with .the .backcheck so that upon. releasev ofithe-1b1ack1-check:from thecatcher a forward movement. toward ythesounding string is preclpitatedfpermitting the jack. to loe` quickly reenga'gedlwiththehammer butt' for the .next operation.' ofthe 'piano' ke'yl However, it .is

A -still' further purpose-3 off-itheeinventionwisztor provide'afpiano actiono `the foregoing character: which `comprises a'-relativelyfew number` ofrpartss. which is rugged;andawhichmaybe :inexpensivelyf manufactured.' Also,l,fitfistplannedithat sucbrade` justing1.members"xasfthe regulating; andrcapstan" screws rwillbe readily?accessibleifor facilefmanipvulation fromi az vantagerpoint.-Y above fthecaction without interference from other parts:'5a-ndswith; out having to'removethefaction:fromif'itsinountf ing.' f

Yety anotherI objectfofcthe finventionr iazto-l el-inne,V nate any need'sforazthe#conventional `bridleastrap .z

and bridlerlwirle;

Other obj ects' willv be ini partzobviousg and-iin' part pointedtoutm'ore im detail. hereinafter.'

Theainvention accordingly-consists fm '.thef fea? turesof f construction; combination'. ofi: elements 1 and arrangement'of :parts fwhich'willbe rlexenipli.- fiedlin 'thei construction hereatterasetxforth andi: the" scope-"offthe application: offwhioh` willv be indicated .'infth'evv appended-clairnsrl Ini therdrawin'gs':

Figure l is'aniendfvi'ew'-oftheactionin'its rest' position Withparts iorthefframe fshown in section ,1 Figure* 2 is faview :similar `to .FigureL l latter :the i key has been ful'lydepress'ed; l:and

FigureJ 3 isf'fan injtermedi`ate`r -viewfsshortlyi after key has been'relased andziithei'parts'are retl'irnel V in g towardittheir rest position.:

Referring "in detail'. toafthecdrawings, there shown a piano vsounding string: lcsadaptedrlton be'struck whenr. a* conventional key 122 isf de pressed; the:P keyN lz'havingfa somewhat; down-4 wardlyr extending@ en'df Mi which underlies a capstan'screvw l5 carredjat :oneendiof af .iv/hippeni: li Byihavingfthefend ldioftset downwardly,the` entireactionA may-be placedi'at a lower: elevation" while: maintaining-the .fstandard keyboard=.;height;

The key l2 is fulcrumed for rocking movement'.

the usual fashi'on fabout al` balance raillzii? The whippen lik? om: thef other hand-'1 is: pivotailylv nriountedztoK anf action zbracket 1i 22v by 'meansaof 1 a pivot" pin .24 iisupportedby`an'fupstanding v-postf 2t: Asy is` conventional ini piano actions, the" ac-v tion bracket 225ialso"servesasffaxsupport fr a:`

damperV` headlz; titel-ef,= beingan upstanding ly to be referred to. The damper head 28 can also be actuated by a damper rod 36 which has an offset 38 so positioned as to be engageable with one end of the pivotal arm 32 when the damper rod 36 is pivoted as by the sustaining pedal associated with the piano. Since the utilization of damper heads is old and well-known in the art, it is believed that the function of the damper head 28 will be readily understood without further explanation as this feature forms no part of the instant invention.

Intermediate the capstan I6 and the pivot pin 24 of the whippen is pivotally carried a jack 49, the jack being disposed in a slot 4I with a pin 42 providing the desired articulative action. The upper end of the jack 40 has a lateral projection 44 and the lower end is substantially J-shaped as designated by the reference number 46, the J-shaped portion 4B terminating in an upwardly directed hooked extremity 48. Positioned above the projection 44 is a hammer rail 50 carrying a downwardly extending regulating screw 52, the purpose of which is to cause rotation of the jack about its pivot point at the desired moment. Biasing the jack 40 in a clockwise direction is a jack spring 54, the express purpose of which will be more readily understood as the description progresses.

A hammer assembly 55 including a hammer head 58, a shank 58, and a butt 60 is pivotally mounted on an upstanding post 62 by means of a pivot pin 64, and, as in conventional piano actions, the hammer assembly is situated so as to have the hammer head 5B strike the sounding string I0. Serving as a biasing means to urge the hammer assembly away from the string I Il is a hammer spring 66, it being mounted at one end to the action bracket 22 and having its other end in engagement with a portion of the butt 6I] above the pivot pin B4. A generally upwardly directed notch 68 is provided in the lower end of the butt 60 in an offset relation with the pivot pin 64, the notch 58 being formed in part by a downwardly inclined nose 'I0 covered with a suitable cushioning material for the jack such as felt surfaced with thin leather.

Extending laterally from the butt 60 is an elongated spring member 12, which will hereinafter be referred to as a repetition spring, so configured that an arcuate section 'I4 thereof will engage the bottom of a slot 16 contained in the jack 48 during a portion of the jacks rotative travel. In order to better illustrate the cooperation the spring 'I2 has with the slot 16, a section of the jack bordering the slot has been removed in each iigure. Actually the slot 16 could, if desired, be a rectilinear notch against the bottom of which the spring 12 would then bear.

A catcher 18 may be integral with the butt 60 or if desired it may extend from the hammer shank 58, and cooperating with the catcher 18 to arrest the return of the hammer assembly 55 is a back check 80 suspended from the whippen IB. In this way, by configuring the catcher 18 and the back check 80 in the manner depicted to permit an overlapping of these members, it will be readily seen that there will be no abrupt stopping of the hammer assembly and that said assembly is free to move forward once again when the whippen I8 is permitted to move downwardly from the position shown in Figure 2 for then the back check releases its grip on the catcher, this occurring when the key I2 is released and begins to move upwardly.

Turning now to the operation of the piano action, it will be observed from Figure l that the J-shaped end 46 of the jack 4! engages in the notch 58 during this at rest position, and, as thus illustrated, the j ack is conditioned for transmitting a tone-producing blow to the hammer assembly 55. When the key I2 is depressed at its right end, the key rocks about the balance rail 28 to raise the end I4 thereof up and the upward movement of said end I4 lifts the capstan screw I5 to pivot the whippen i5 in a counterclockwise fashion. Of course, the pivoting of the whippen exerts a lifting force on the jack 4G, since the jack is suspended from the whippen by means of the pivot pin 42.

As the jack is moved upwardly, the extremity 48 of the J-shaped end is forced against the butt 58 and such engagement produces a countercloekwise rotation of the butt resulting in the head 55 imparting a tone-producing blow to the sounding string IG. The extremity 48 remains in engagement with the notch 63 throughout this lifting action until disengagement is effected by a counterclockwise rotation of the jack 4G, the notch insuring against any premature or accidental defiection of the jack. To produce the counterclockwise disengaging motion at the appropriate time, the projection 44 strikes the regulating screw 52, and once the projection 44 is arrested in its movement, it will be easily seen that the extremity 48 is moved to the right out of engagement with the notch 68. Due, however, to the presence of the inclined nose i5, the lateral movement of the extremity 43 as it is disengaged from the notch 5t' provides an additional and final impetus to the butt G5, for the extremity 48 is forced to follow the underside of the nose 'i8 to produce a quick camming action, thereby causing the butt 5t to be more forcefully moved in its tone-producing direction against the string iii. As stated above, the jack 48 in its upward travel remains firmly engaged with the notch t8 until the precise time that disengagement is desired, it being entirely feasible to adjust the regulating screw 52 to effect this disengagement when the hammer is only one-eighth inch from the string. In this way, not only is power applied to the hammer assembly 55 for a relatively long time, actually almost until he hammer head 56 strikes the string, but the application of power to the head 5G is always for the same interval with the advantage that the tone volume -will be identical for the saine force applied to the key i2 each time said key is actuated. In other words, the action is always uniform.

During the period that the whippen $23 is being rotated counterclockud by the key i2, it will be seen that the spool 34 is urged downwardly by the left end of the whippen to pivot the arm 32, the pivoting of the arm 32 of course causing the damper head 2S to be moved away from the string I0 thereby permitting the tone to be sustained for the interval that the key I2 remains depressed. After the hammer head 5G has imparted its blow to the string i5, it rebounds with considerable force, and it is during the rebound travel of the butt 5D that the repetition spring i2 becomes effective for its intended purpose, since the spring is then deflected upwardly to store enough energy for later moving the hammer 55 toward the string IU. The exact amount of spring deflection, and consequently the energy stored therein, depends of course upon the degree of offset or curvature of the section '14, the distance said section 'i4 is from the pivot point 64 and the strength of the spring. The choice of these factorsfis. in turn. iii-,-V fluenced. by' the size of. nose lill, the weight ofthe hammer assembly, andthe. distance between the pivot point 6d and the notch .'lii, all of which should be apparent to: av skilled piano technician.

However, beforev the hammer is, again urged toward the string, the catcher 'i8 engages the back check 8i? as shown in Figure 2 to arrest the rebound travel of the hammer assembly. However, by the time they catcher it is stopped by the check B- the desired amount of energy will 4have been stored in the spring l2. The stored energy in the repetition spring l2 is expended as hereinbefore indicatedr to move the hammer assembly toward the string B2i! once again upon release of the key i2'. The purpose in doing, this, which heretofore has not been made manifest', is Vto make certain that there will be no obstructive interference between the extremity ld on the jack le and the nose 'Hl on the butt til. From Figure 3, which depicts an instantaneous position in the return to the rest position, it can be seen that the nose, 'it is raised (because the butt it pivots about the pin 6d) to an extent suflicient to provide a slight amount of clearance (just enough `to assure free passage of the nose) between the extremity it and said nose. The downwardly concave section le, cogniaance being had of the aforesaid design factors, is instrumental in producing the necessary lamount of forward travel. varying with different designs, itis suggested that the hammer head 5t might be moved from a position approximately ve-eighths inch from the string I e' to a point approximating one-fourth inch therefrom. In any event, it will be seen that the forward travel should be sumcient 'to permit :re-engagement of the J-shaped end it in the notch @d v-.fithout restriction.

While the spring i2 produces the desired forward movement of the hammer assembly 55 upon release from the back check, it willbe recognized that the jack spring 54 acts in such a manner to move the J-sha-ped end into re-engagement with the notch E3. Sufficient energy for this purpose is stored in the spring 54 bythe initial actuation of the key l2, for when the projection lll strikes the regulating screw 52 during the actuation of the key the spring 54 will be deflected as the jack is moved counterclockwise and the stored energy in the when the key l?? is released. Also, it is to be observed that the back check 8@ is carried by the whippen HB and upon release of the key i2 the whipp-en starts to rotate clockwise from the position shown in Figure 2 toward that pictured in Figure l, this movement lowering the check 8@ so that the catcher 'it can be propelled forwardly by the energy stored in the repetition spring l2.

In conclusion, it will be easily seen that the piano action above described is exceedingly compa t, especially since the jack 40 parallels approximately the hammer shank 58. Further, the J-shaped or hooked end l5 always remains in engagement with the notch 63S until the butt Sil has reached a preferred angular position and that the disengagement of the .ii-shaped end 135 is always at a preselected point. Still further the J -shaped end it is permitted to be quickly re-engaged with the notch t@ without interference because of the incorporation of the repetition spring 'I2 into the piano action. This latter feature of course conditions the entire action so that it will be immediately ready for the next actuation of the key l2. Also, it is to be noted that the advantages above mentioned are attained with mechanism In practice, although spring till is merely expended 6; that is simple, rugged and not apt to get. out of order easily. Still further, the repetition spring feature may* be used with conventional upright or spinet actions, if desired.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely diierent embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it isv intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim:

1. In a piano action, the combination comprising a pivotally mounted whippen, a piano key for actuating same, a hammer, shank and butt assembly, the butt being pivotally mounted and provided with a generally upwardly-directed notch formed in part by a downwardly and forwardly sloping concave cam face, a jack pivotally supported by said whippen having a substantially J-shaped end portion engageable at its extremity in said notch, and .stop means engageable by said jack for rotating said jack relative to said whippen at a preferred angular position of said butt whereby said extremity slides across said cam face and provides an additional impetus to said butt during the disengaging of said J-shaped end from said notch.

2. In a piano action, the combination comprising a pivotally mounted hammer shank butt provided with a generally upwardly-directed notch offset from its pivot point, a hammer and shank supported by said butt for movement toward and away from a piano string, a jack having a lateral projection adjacent its upper end and a substantially J -shaped lower `end engageable in said notch, a piano key, a whippen fulcrumed adjacent one end thereof and actuatable adjacent its other end by said piano key, said jack being pivotally supported by said whippen and movable upwardly when said whip-pen is actuated by said piano key, stop means positioned so as to be engaged by said lateral projection as said jack is moved upwardly by said whippen thereby to effect disengagement of said J-shaped end from said notch at a preferred angular position of said butt and thus when said hammer is a preferred distance from the piano string, means biasing said hammer away from the string, a catcher associated with said hammer shank butt and movable therewith, a back check supported by said whippen and engageable with said catcher on the return movement. of said hammer, an elongated spring member carried at one end by said butt, shoulder means on said jack engageable with said spring member to deflect said spring member upwardly and thereby store sufcient energy to move said butt and hammer in a direction toward said string a distance sufcient to permit unrestricted re-engagement of the J-shaped end of said jack in said notch upon disengagement of said back check from said catcher resulting from a release of said piano key.

3. In a piano action, the combination comprising a pivotally mounted whippen, a piano key for actuating said whippen, a hammer, shank and butt assembly, the butt being mounted for rotation about a fixed pivot point and provided with a generally upwardly-directed notch offset from said pivot point, a jack pivotally supported by said whippen having one end engageable in said notch, means for disengaging the jack from said notch at a preferred angular position of said hammer assembly as said assembly is moved in one direction through the medium of said whippen when said key is operated, a catcher movable with said hammer assembly, a back check controlled by the movement of said piano key to arrest the movement of said catcher as said hammer assembly moves in an opposite direction from said one direction, a spring carried by said hammer assembly, and a shoulder on said jack engageable with said spring to flex said spring and store energy therein responsive to movement of said hammer assembly in said opposite direction, whereby said spring moves said hammer assembly again in said one direction when said key is released to pivot said butt and permit said one end of said jack to reenter said notch.

4. In a piano action, the combination comprising a pivotally mounted whippen, a piano key for actuating said whippen, a hammer, shank and butt assembly, the butt being mounted for rotation about a fixed pivot point and provided with a generally upwardly-directed notch oiset from said pivot point, a jack pivotally supported by said whippen having one end engageable in said notch, means for disengaging the jack from said notch at a preferred angular position of said harnmer assembly as said assembly is moved in one direction through the medium of said Whippen when said key is operated, a catcher movable with said hammer assembly, a back check controlled by the movement of said piano key to arrest the movement of said catcher as said hammer assembly moves in an opposite direction from said one direction, and an elongated resilient element attached at one end to said butt and extending substantially laterally therefrom, said jack having means thereon over which a portion of said resilient element rides to cause deection of said resilient element as said hammer assembly moves in said opposite direction with a concomitant storing of energy in said resilient element which is expended to move said hammer assembly again in said one direction to an extent suicient to permit unobstructed rie-engagement of said one end of the jack with said notch when said catcher is released from said back check.

5. In a piano action, the combination comprising a pivotaliy mounted whippen, a piano key for actuating said whippen, a hammer, shank and butt assembly, the butt being mounted for rotation about a fixed pivot point and provided with a generally upwardly-directed notch offset from said pivot point, a jack pivotally supported by said whippen having a lateral projection adjacent its upper end and a substantially J-shaped lower end engageable in said notch, stop means positioned so as to be engaged by said lateral projection for disengaging the jack from said notch at a preferred position of said hammer assembly as said assembly is moved in one direction through the medium of said whippen when said key is operated, a catcher carried by said hammer assembly for movement therewith, a back check supported by said whippen and movable by said whippen into the path of said catcher to arrest the movement of said catcher as said hammer assembly moves in an opposite direction from said one direction, and an elongated spring element attached at one end to said butt and having a downwardly curved portion near its free end, said jack having a shoulder over which said curved portion rides to cause deflection of said spring element as said hammer assembly moves in said opposite direction with a concomitant storing of energy in said spring which is expended to move said hammer assembly again in said one direction to an extent sumcient to permit unobstructed reengagement of the J-shaped jack with said notch when said catcher is released from said back check.

6. In a piano action, the combination comprising a sounding string, a pivotally mounted Whippen, a piano key for actuating said whippen, a hammer, shank and butt assembly for striking said string to produce a tone, the butt being mounted for rotation about a xed pivot point and provided with a generally upwardly-directed notch formed in part by a downwardly inclined nose, a spring biasing said hammer assembly away from said sounding string, a jack pivotally supported by said whippen having a lateral projection adjacent its upper end and a substantially .l-shaped lower end engageable in said notch, a spring biasing said J-shaped lower end of the jack toward said notch, stop means positioned so as to be engaged by said lateral projection for disengaging the jack from said notch at a preferred spacing of said hammer from the sounding string as said hammer assembly is moved toward said string through the medium of said Whippen when said key is operated, a catcher carried by said hammer assembly for movement therewith having a sloping surface, a back check supported by said whippen having a sloping surface engageable with the sloping surface of said catcher as said hammer' rebounds from said sounding string, an elongated repetition spring attached at one end to said butt and having a downwardly curved cam portion near its free end, said jack having a shoulder over which said curved cam portion rides to cause deflection of said repetition spring as said hammer rebounds from said sounding string with a concomitant storing or" energy in said repetition spring which is expended to move said hammer assembly toward said string again to an extent su'lcicnt to permit unobstructed re-engagement of the J-shaped end of the jack with said notch when said catcher is released from said back check.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

